steveve
Senior Member
A matcha store pop up. Free drinks, swag, etc.
- Thread starter Ziggy
- Start date
A matcha store pop up. Free drinks, swag, etc.
GenerationLee
Senior Member
Today
ADRM
Senior Member
nightstreak
Active Member
That window wall viewed from Brant St. looks great but I do wonder how long this is going to take. After such a long wait for the cladding, it seems to be progressing at a snail's pace. They've been at the first and second floors since September 2024. I get that this is complex, but at this rate, it'll take years. Sir Elton John is pushing 80, will he actually get to move in?
Any guesses when this will be finished?
Any guesses when this will be finished?
karledice
Senior Member
Fall 2028
wopchop
Building Toronto
Cleaning will be challenging because of all the setbacks but not the main point that was made. Maintenance, i.e. replacement of any glass units that fail will be a nightmare and very costly for the condo corp. Significantly more expensive than even a typical curtain-wall.
18-21 months from their start date for erection of the wall IMO. Doing this building is probably as much work as CIBC Square for example, which is 50 stories.
Last edited:
nightstreak
Active Member
I wonder if it's common practice for developers to produce spare cladding at the time they're being done en masse during the building's construction. Any good homeowner knows to buy some extra tiles to keep in a box in the basement because one day you'll need them and you won't be able to find the same ones in stores.
Oof. Elton John will be but a Candle in the Wind by then.
wopchop
Building Toronto
It is not, no. Residential buildings typically have hundreds of different sizes, so how do you choose? This is not an office tower with an even higher degree of commonality.
Murphy's law means you will choose exactly the one you don't need.
That being said it does happen, sometimes. This glass is also offshore, so procurement more complicated too.
I also wasn't just talking about cost of glass itself (which yes will cost a lot). This glass is extremely heavy and labour and equipment cost for maintenance will be extreme.
nightstreak
Active Member
I read an article way back when this was still on the drawing board where Bjark Ingels talked about how it'll be a living building — literally — with vines growing and how it'll evolve. That makes sense. The glass bricks will get dirty but it'll be a part of the building like the vines. They'll be washed by rain.
The glazing will be washed with a squeegee like other buildings, but in this case with access from the balconies below and with ropes, no need for a built-in swing stage since the building is terraced. I do wonder how frequent visits from the cleaning crew to residents' balconies is going to get old real fast. There was also talk of a resident gardener who will maintain all the lush plants, not the residents.
Condo fees will not be cheap here, that's for sure. I looked back then and was scared away by the permanent and likely escalating maintenance costs.
wopchop
Building Toronto
I don't mean cleaning. The glass will eventually need replacement because the seals fail or they break. For occupant comfort and safety. Unless you are saying that leaving them as-is, broken and non performing, would be part of how the building "evolves".
neuhaus
Senior Member
The first four floors are commercial, so the arrangement of vision glass, obscured glass and solid walls be different than on the residential levels above.
Ian Gillespie said that because all of the commercial spaces are owned by Westbank and leased out, they will have complete control of the type of shops and restaurants that will be operating here. He assures it will be respected, world class retailers befitting of its unique architecture.
neuhaus
Senior Member
I assume you were being sarcastic.
The last update from Westbank (announced last January) was that the completion is anticipated in September 2026. I have a feeling it might be more like Q1 of 2027.
mferna
Active Member
Cladding continues to rise higher at KING Toronto as heritage work progresses on the site. https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2025/0...-toronto-while-heritage-work-progresses.58560
nightstreak
Active Member
2 (incomplete) floors in 6-7 months so far. I hope they start picking up speed then.
neuhaus
Senior Member
Yes, the cladding had a slow start for a few reasons, and it’s probably the most noticeable construction component of the building, which is probably why the building seems to be moving at a snail’s pace. Another manufacturer is producing the curtain wall system after the original manufacturer went bankrupt, so it looks like the glazing/cladding is being installed as soon as it’s being delivered, judging from the panels stored in staging area in the back. It’s also a unique glass block and triple glazed curtain wall system, much different than your typical spandrel window wall system. I’m hoping it will move much faster once they complete the commercial levels which incorporates the heritage buildings. I believe the elevators have already been installed (at least the guts of it).
Each floor is different and 70% of the units are unique so construction won’t be as fast as a cookie-cutter high rise condo that’s built the same all the way up.
Each floor is different and 70% of the units are unique so construction won’t be as fast as a cookie-cutter high rise condo that’s built the same all the way up.